“As long as we execute the way we did tonight,” wide receiver Jafus Gaines said, “we can give anybody trouble.”

The first test will come Sept. 13 at Bobcat Stadium against Navy, but for a night, the Bobcats were nearly flawless.

Led by sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones, Texas State jumped to a 42-0 lead at the half in rolling to its 18th victory in a home opener in its last 19 tries.

The defense under new coordinator John Thompson limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 215 total yards in 69 plays, an average of 3.1 yards per play.

The Golden Lions drove beyond the 50-yard-line only twice all night.

“It's hard to get a shutout in this day and age, no matter who you're playing,” Texas State coach Dennis Franchione said. “We didn't give them a chance to breathe or get into the game.”

The margin of victory was the largest by the Bobcats since a 75-7 rout of Panhandle State on Oct. 15, 2005.

Jones, proving he's fully recovered from a broken hand suffered at the end of the 2013 season, completed 21 of 25 passes for a career-high 278 yards and four touchdowns, also a career best.

The sophomore from Stephenville was pulled after leading Texas State to a field goal on its first second-half possession.

Running back Robert Lowe rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown, while Gaines caught four passes for a career-high 119 yards and two touchdowns.

“There's always room for improvement in this no-huddle offense,” said Jones, who was 19 of 22 in the first half for 266 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 56 yards. “But for the most part, I feel we did a decent job.”

It was all Bobcats from the opening kickoff.

They scored on their first possession with the help of a little acrobatics from slot receiver C.J. Best.

A converted running back, Best scored on a 17-yard run after taking a read-option pitch from Jones and juggling the ball up around his head.

It only got easier from there. The Bobcats scored touchdowns on their next five possessions — 6 for 6 in the first half overall — averaging more than 10 yards a play.

Texas State took a 14-0 lead on another acrobatic catch, this one by Gaines in the end zone. The junior receiver caught the ball off his own deflection while lying flat on his back.

Time of possession was all Arkansas-Pine Bluff the first half. The Golden Lions had the ball 17:52 to the Bobcats' 12:08.

But the scoreboard — and the rest of the stat sheet — was all Bobcats.